MN: Art Exhibit: “Water | Craft”

Water | Craft explores the intersection of traditional craft practices and contemporary concerns about water and the environment. This exhibition brings together artists whose practices incorporate historical craft techniques of weaving, pottery, basketry, glass, and textile arts – and who transform these techniques to address issues including water access, climate change, and cultural preservation.

Just as water flows through our bodies, landscapes, and cultural memories, craft knowledge passes between generations, carrying technical skills alongside cultural values. The featured artists employ traditional methods not as nostalgic gestures but as living practices that offer sophisticated perspectives on ecological and social challenges.

By positioning these works in a contemporary art context, the exhibition questions hierarchies between art forms while demonstrating how generational wisdom can help us navigate environmental crises. Photo caption: Tali Weinberg, Heat Waves/Water Falls, 2023.

Petrochemical-derived medical tubing, plant fibers, plant and insect dyes. Image courtesy of Colin Conces.